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Re: Indiana University Athletics Thread 2013-2014

I think it's absolutely baffling that we have no semblance of an offense what so ever. Such a horrible year.

Dude, don't be dense. Clearly, the offense is as such: Run the three man weave on the three point line until there are EXACTLY 8 seconds left on the shot clock. At this point, let your bestest player (HAY BOO BOO) throw some garbage shot up and pray for the best. If he misses..OH WELL. He's your best player so you have to give him the opportunity to shoot the ball.

Re: Indiana University Athletics Thread 2013-2014

Dude, don't be dense. Clearly, the offense is as such: Run the three man weave on the three point line until there are EXACTLY 8 seconds left on the shot clock. At this point, let your bestest player (HAY BOO BOO) throw some garbage shot up and pray for the best. If he misses..OH WELL. He's your best player so you have to give him the opportunity to shoot the ball.

Unless it's a really crucial point in the game and then you call timeout after burning all that clock with just 7 secs left on the shot clock.

Nuntius was right for a while. I was wrong for a while. But ultimately I was right and Frank Vogel has been let go.

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"A player who makes a team great is more valuable than a great player. Losing yourself in the group, for the good of the group, thatís teamwork."

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Re: Indiana University Athletics Thread 2013-2014

This team just doesn't have the players right now. Don't know what to tell you. This is what happens when you primarily play freshmen. Victor Oladipo didn't exactly come in playing lights out either. Cody Zeller was the exception to the rule.

I get it...this team is HARD to watch. I can't watch most of these games. The drop-off from the execution of last year, to this year, is just way too steep. It's painful.

But this is what happens when you play mostly freshmen who aren't UK-payroll caliber.

I have two major criticisms of Crean, so I'm not a blind apologist. One...that 2012 recruiting class was pretty awful overall. Yogi is terrific, obviously, but to say HMP, Jurkin & Hollowell have disappointed would be massive understatements. And it's not like Ron Patterson is doing a whole lot at 'Cuse either (still, better than Jurkin...) You just can't have an elite program and whiff as badly on a class as Crean did in 2012. I'm not sure the Jurkin commitment ever made sense, and nothing appears to be changing that now.

The other is just that he's a stubborn ***. Great recruiter, I think he's actually an underrated Xs & Os coach because everyone likes to "blah blah blah zone" but doesn't appear to watch any other college coaches who routinely do dumbass things, but he's stubborn to a fault. He's brash toward media at best, puts on a face for fans that doesn't really reflect his consideration of them, and sticks to some flawed philosophies. The blitzkrieg offense is terrific if you have transition shooters and great ballhandlers. But he should have known he didn't have a plethora of either heading into the season, and modified the offense thusly (he did try to install SOME post concepts for Vonleh, but at the end of the day Vonleh is raw and Crean isn't exactly known for dynamic post concepts either).

So, yes, this season has been a little worse than even I expected, and I was wholly pessimistic heading into it. But look, they're beating some good teams, and they're losing close ones to bad teams. You have to learn how to win. I think they will. They're not really losing anyone of value next year, Yogi is going to continue to blossom into a star player, and you see it's just a matter of time before guys like Stan Robinson and Troy Williams get the whole of it, and someone like James Blackmon Jr can come in and answer for the lack of outside shooting -- which is killing this team more than anything right now.

Firing Crean or abandoning all hope because of one slightly disappointing season seems ridiculous to me. Unless you're landing Brad Stevens, just take your lumps and see what's in front of you.

Re: Indiana University Athletics Thread 2013-2014

I'm sorry but the offense was horrible last year. Dribble drive and kick. Dribble Drive and Kick. Post entry. Doubled. No cuts. Dribble Drive and Kick. Dribble Drive and Kick.

No curls, Minimal off ball screens, no screening a screener, no flex, generic motion offense, back cuts are weak, and no Hi-lo against a fronting zone defense.

I hat IU's offense. Hate it.

The offense was absolutely fine last year until Crean ran it into the ground with A) incredibly intense practices that never eased up toward the B1G season conclusion and tourney time and B) zero depth.

I'm not trying to be a jerk or a know-it-all, but I feel 100% confident in saying if you ask anyone close to the IU program, they will tell you Crean just ran that team into the ground last year. They were exhausted. They had tired legs. When they weren't tired, and had fresh legs, they were DAMN good, nation's best really.

Re: Indiana University Athletics Thread 2013-2014

The offense was absolutely fine last year until Crean ran it into the ground with A) incredibly intense practices that never eased up toward the B1G season conclusion and tourney time and B) zero depth.

I'm not trying to be a jerk or a know-it-all, but I feel 100% confident in saying if you ask anyone close to the IU program, they will tell you Crean just ran that team into the ground last year. They were exhausted. They had tired legs. When they weren't tired, and had fresh legs, they were DAMN good, nation's best really.

I always thought that the team just looked drained towards the end of the season. They were running on fumes; you could just tell.

Re: Indiana University Athletics Thread 2013-2014

I always thought that the team just looked drained towards the end of the season. They were running on fumes; you could just tell.

I guarantee this is the case. Not just the smell test, though you could just tell they didn't even have fun playing toward the end. But I do know a few people inside the program who have always maintained that. Team just had nothing left at the end. Crean's practice strategy was (is?) insane.

When that offense had legs, it was regularly in the 80-100 point range.

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Re: Indiana University Athletics Thread 2013-2014

Crean's offense has NEVER looked good so it's not going to look good next year, the year after, or the next decade. It doesn't matter who he gets or loses in the recruitment battle. The offense won't improve until coaching improves.

Lots of rah rah, very little substance.

It's time to start making a list of candidates because Crean's on the clock.

Nuntius was right for a while. I was wrong for a while. But ultimately I was right and Frank Vogel has been let go.

------

"A player who makes a team great is more valuable than a great player. Losing yourself in the group, for the good of the group, thatís teamwork."

Re: Indiana University Athletics Thread 2013-2014

Cody Zeller mentioned in an interview they had a 4-hour practice one day in late February. Crean was notorious for overworking his Marquette teams; I guess I'm not surprised he does the same here.

didn't know about the practices. sometimes some unpleasant, hard practices can be beneficial in motivating the players but- there is a limit. looks like tom doesn't get because he isn't actually running up and down the court with them and doesn't get it that they are real people and not robots.

Re: Indiana University Athletics Thread 2013-2014

So, yes, this season has been a little worse than even I expected, and I was wholly pessimistic heading into it. But look, they're beating some good teams, and they're losing close ones to bad teams. You have to learn how to win. I think they will. They're not really losing anyone of value next year, Yogi is going to continue to blossom into a star player, and you see it's just a matter of time before guys like Stan Robinson and Troy Williams get the whole of it, and someone like James Blackmon Jr can come in and answer for the lack of outside shooting -- which is killing this team more than anything right now.

Firing Crean or abandoning all hope because of one slightly disappointing season seems ridiculous to me. Unless you're landing Brad Stevens, just take your lumps and see what's in front of you.

Crean seems to think differently, but I think Noah Vonleh is pretty valuable. Or at least should be.

Re: Indiana University Athletics Thread 2013-2014

He has to have world beaters at nearly every position or they will ALWAYS be stopped in the tournament trail by coaches that can actually coach and have well prepared players just waiting to stop them.

And it's going to be worse when players realize that and he has a shrinking talent pool to pick from.

Nuntius was right for a while. I was wrong for a while. But ultimately I was right and Frank Vogel has been let go.

------

"A player who makes a team great is more valuable than a great player. Losing yourself in the group, for the good of the group, thatís teamwork."

Re: Indiana University Athletics Thread 2013-2014

And he still couldn't even get to round of eight. I call that a dissappointing underachievement.

Right, because he ran them into the ground (and concurrent with that, Hulls become entirely sub/average). It wasn't the player or the scheme that failed the team. It was the damn practice strategy and related lack of depth. As I said...that needs to change. Badly.